Chapter 30

As they traveled southwest along the Kangjian Forest, the trees gradually became sparser. Occasionally, logging trails appeared near the shores of Ash Lake. On both sides of these trails, one could see old and decaying tree trunks that had become shelters for moss, mushrooms, and other plants after years of exposure to the elements.

Through the gaps between the trees, one could see old tree stumps hidden among the grass and shrubs. This area used to be a logging site, where high-quality timber provided a living for many people. Nibo Town was situated next to the Kangjian Forest, or more accurately, part of the forest was cut down and transformed into the current Nibo Town.

The town once flourished due to the logging industry, but excessive logging led to disaster. A group of druids living near Ash Lake opposed Nibo Town's commercial logging. After multiple warnings went unheeded, they took action. A plague curse targeting the loggers struck Nibo Town, infecting everyone who cut down trees, leaving them extremely weak and unable to work.

The townspeople and the druids became adversaries. Nibo Town's merchants hired many adventurers to launch continuous attacks on the druid community, pursuing them around the two forests on either side of Ash Lake. The druids, with their advantageous position, were very powerful. Many adventurers who went on these missions disappeared without a trace, as if swallowed by the forest.

The high risk increased the bounty for the missions, but the wealth accumulated by the merchants was enough to keep the missions going. More and more adventurers were attracted to Nibo Town by the potential rewards, and they joined forces for the task. After many casualties on both sides, they discovered another way to profit.

The young and able-bodied men of Nibo Town were mostly loggers. Under the curse of the weakening plague, they could barely lift a bowl to eat, let alone work or defend themselves. The town's defenses were at their lowest point, while the gathered adventurers were the strongest in history. Although not all adventurers became bandits, under the influence of some schemers, the number of honest adventurers willing to help the town became a minority.

A plunder began, and the entire town fell into chaos, with killings continuing in the name of money. The druids saw everything and offered help when the townspeople were in despair. A safe passage to the forest appeared, and the beasts became protectors, significantly reducing the loss of life in Nibo Town.

The town was almost in ruins, but on the ruins, the villagers and the druids reached an understanding. Excessive commercial logging became a thing of the past. The focus shifted from timber production to wood processing, reducing the use of trees while maintaining similar profits. The townspeople also began planting trees, systematically replenishing the Kangjian Forest, leading to a new balance.

The pursuit of the bandit adventurers continued for twenty years, and all the recovered money was used for the town's reconstruction. After this lesson, Nibo Town placed great emphasis on dialogue and communication, strongly opposing the escalation of conflicts to violent confrontations. Their professional town guard was a strong guarantee of this philosophy.

This is a town of "smooth talkers"! Although this is a somewhat derogatory and biased statement, it reflects the town's style. Because of this style, it is not surprising that it has become the most inclusive and open town in the north.

The forest that Zhao Mai saw on his journey was the result of later reforestation. The old tree stumps left from past logging, with their roots still firmly gripping the soil, were too costly to remove, so they remained in place. The forest paths were often "gnawed" by the stumps, making them unsuitable for cars.

Modern transportation requires a whole system to support it, and Golarion's level of development is still at the stage of horseback riding and using carriages. Zhao Mai also thought about this. As he drove, he discussed with his companion.

"I think we shouldn't park the car in the town. The risk is too high. Such a rare item will attract too much attention, don't you think?"

"Woof," Cunhuzheng opened his eyes wide and answered very seriously.

"Although I defeated the gnome illusionist before, that was a surprise attack and doesn't represent my true abilities. If someone plans to ambush me and gives me a good whack, I'll be in trouble, right?"

Cunhuzheng opened his big mouth, licked his upper teeth with his tongue, and barked twice.

"Oh, you disagree? You think with you around, no one can ambush me?" Zhao Mai smiled at the puppy and said gratefully, "Thank you for your concern, but you're still too young. I can't put you at risk. Better to be safe."

"Woof!"

"I must be crazy to keep talking to a dog and even have such smooth conversations." Zhao Mai pinched his cheek hard, the pain in his head making him alert. "I hope this isn't a sign of schizophrenia. Too much self-talk is never a good thing."

This was Zhao Mai's biggest concern. The fact that he could drive a taxi through time and space was a huge shock to him. If he couldn't share it with anyone, the excitement would build up inside him, becoming more and more overwhelming, and might eventually break through his mental defenses. So he seized every opportunity to learn the common language, simulating various communication scenarios with his limited vocabulary, hoping to integrate into this world as soon as possible.

However, the car still needed to be hidden. Driving into the town in broad daylight was never a good idea. The ranger had told Zhao Mai to go to Nibo Town, but he didn't describe what the town was like. If there was a powerful lord there who decided to rob him upon seeing the car, what would he do? Zhao Mai wasn't afraid of anything except what he had told Cunhuzheng: being ambushed.

A deserted logging site appeared by the roadside, and many animals frightened by the car's horn rushed out of a half-collapsed warehouse. The roads in the site were long destroyed, and the forces of nature had covered the traces of industry with wind, frost, rain, and snow, and the lack of maintenance.

This was a good place. Zhao Mai drove around and found no signs of camping or human activity. He moved a few rotten logs and parked the car inside the warehouse with half a wall missing. Unless someone walked in and stood right next to the car, it wouldn't be visible from the outside.

The rest of the journey would have to be on foot. Zhao Mai searched the old logging site and found a few decent long pieces of wood. He split, trimmed, and wrapped them with cloth to use as staffs, poles, and walking sticks. An old wheelbarrow was still usable, though it made a loud creaking sound when moved. There was no oil to be found in the entire logging site, so the grating noise accompanied Zhao Mai all the way.

Leaving the logging site, he followed the faint old road. After about half a day, Zhao Mai reached a merchant road with wheel tracks. In the distance, behind the trees, a thin white smoke rose into the sky, blending with the clouds. That was Nibo Town, about to welcome two hungry travelers.